Paul and Rachel: The Unexpected Couple
by annycs13
Summary: When Rachel came home, the last thing she was expecting was to meet someone and immediately fall in love. Paul never thought he would be one of the lucky ones to imprint on someone, until one day he meets Rachel Black, Jacob's sister. He knows immediately that she's the one, and they fall quickly in love, but will love be able to hold them together?
1. Chapter 1

Rachel pulled up in her silver sedan and stared at her old house. It looked even shabbier than it had four years ago. She sighed, old memories flooding in. This was the house she had been born in, the house she, and her twin sister, and her little brother had been raised in. This house had seen them grow up, seen her parents fall in love in it and raise them in it, and seen she, her siblings, and her father mourn in it after her mother's death.

Stepping out of the car she sighed as her new sneakers hit mud. She had bought new sneakers for the occasion, knowing that La Push was not the cleanest and driest place. Shaking her head she grabbed her purse and walked up the ramp to the front door.

 _Should she knock? She had lived there once, so was it technically her house? Was anyone home?_ They knew she was coming to visit today, but she hadn't given them a specific time that she would arrive so she wasn't sure if they were expecting her to be there right now. Shaking her head again she wrapped her knuckles on the door and waited.

After what seemed like forever the door opened and she smiled warmly as her father greeted her.

"Rachel! How lovely to see you!" he reached out and pulled her down into a warm hug. Rachel squeezed him gently, surprising tears threatening to overflow.

"It's good to be back here dad." She said tightly. She pulled back and they went inside. He wheeled himself over to the living room and she sat down on the couch. Wow. The couch sank under her 125-pound weight and it creaked as she shifted her feet.

"Umm, dad, I think y

ou need a new couch." She said, raising an eyebrow. He laughed.

"Sweetheart, I need a lot of new things. The couch is the least of my problems." He said and I smiled.

"Well okay, hey, where's Jake? I thought I saw some sort of missing poster for him in Forks but I passed by it too quickly to really take a look at it. Are those old posters? Did someone forget to take them down? Jake isn't really missing is he dad?"

"Well, no. He isn't missing; he's just gone on an extended… trip. I'm not sure when he'll be back. Charlie put those posters up because he thinks Jake is missing but he really isn't." my father avoided my eyes and I rolled them.

" _Suure_ dad, sure." I said. "No seriously, where is Jake? I was talking to Leah the other day and she said something about Jake needing some space and time alone. Why?"

"It's nothing, well, you remember Charlie's daughter Bella?" I nodded, "Well she and Jake were really close, like best friends close, but she's getting married and he really doesn't like the guy she's marrying so he's just a little sour. He got a wedding invitation from her a few days ago and it set him off." Dad shrugged like it was nothing but something about it told me it wasn't.

"So Jake just took off?"

"He's fine, I hear from it everyday." Dad reassured me. I nodded, still doubtful. There was an awkward silence for a moment before dad turned back to me.

"Why don't you go and bring your things in and then maybe head down to the beach. I know it's kind of windy and cloudy today but it would do you some good. I'll bet you haven't been to the beach since you moved away." He smiled a little too brightly. Rachel narrowed her eyes at him but he didn't see it. She decided not to tell him that she had been to the beach since she'd left, it just wasn't a cloudy, cold, windy one like La Push's beaches.

"Sure sure," She said, giving him his favourite answer. He smiled again, and Rachel could tell it was genuine.

"It's good to have you back Rach, it really is." He said, before ambling off to the kitchen. She shook her head, some things never change. Rachel went out and brought my bags in. She hadn't brought too many since she was only here for a week. Setting them down on her old bed, Rachel looked around the room. She and Rebecca had shared a room and when they'd left, they had left most of their stuff behind. She shook her head, blocking out the memories of _why_ they had both left. Being here was painful, especially being in this house. Rachel walked over to the old desk and ran her fingers along the dusty pin board, still covered with pictures from she and Rebecca's lives. Pictures of them together; pictures of Jake, their father, their friends, and… their mother. Rachel fingered one of the pictures of her mother, one of her smiling as she sat next to their father in the old red truck. Rachel could see Jacob in the background, five years old, he was carrying a shovel and she could see mud on his sleeve. Rachel smiled, letting out a sob. She hadn't realized she was crying. She wiped her tears away with her sleeve and headed out to my car. She couldn't stand to be in that house another second. Jumping in, she drove away.

Rachel hadn't realized that she was heading to First Beach until she arrived and was parked. She sat there in her car for a moment in stunned silence. There was a knock on her window. Rachel jumped and peered out the window to see Embry Call and Quil Ateara standing outside her car peering in at her. She opened the door and got out.

"Hey Rach! Billy told us you were coming! Wow, we didn't expect you for a couple of hours." Embry grinned and pulled her into a hug. Rachel marveled at the fact that he was so tall, it was surprising since last time she had seen him he was still a little kid.

"Hey Rachel," Quil greeted, a little less enthusiastically. He pulled her into a warm hug. Rachel smiled, Quil had always had a soft heart and had always been kind to her as well as a little shy.

"Hey Embry! Quil! Wow, you too sure have grown since I last saw you guys." Rachel marveled at their height, they had to be at least six feet. She suddenly felt small at her five foot six.

"You should see Jake, he's massive!" Quil said with a grin.

"Where is Jake anyway? Have you talked to him lately?" she asked him, if she couldn't get his whereabouts out of her father, maybe his friends would know. Embry and Quil shared a look that she couldn't quite decipher.

"No, we haven't talked to him lately." Embry finally replied slowly. She narrowed her eyes at him and he shrugged.

"At least not on the phone." He added. Quil nodded.

"Quil! Embry!" a voice called out. Both boys turned as an older boy walked towards them. He was tall, taller than them, by a good few inches. He looked slightly familiar but she couldn't quite place his name.

"Hey Sam, we were just saying hello to Jake's sister." Embry said. Sam nodded and gave them both a look. They glanced at Rachel before skittering off. _That's odd_. Rachel thought, but the though disappeared quickly as Sam approached her.

She remembered him vaguely. He was a little bit younger than her and had dated Leah Clearwater all through high school. She knew at one point they had even been engaged, or at least soon to be engaged, before something got in the way. From what Leah had said when she had spoken to her a few days ago, Sam was now engaged to her cousin, Emily Young.

"Rachel Black," Sam said by way of greeting. Rachel shoved her hands into her pockets.

"Hello," she squeaked, god he was gorgeous. And tall. _He's engaged you idiot!_ A little voice in her head told her. She shook off the thought and turned to him. He seemed to be waiting for her to say something.

"Umm…"

"I understand you wish to know where you brother is, but trust me, he's fine. We've talked to him recently, this morning in fact, and Billy has been in contact with him." Sam's voice was commanding and deep. Something about it forced Rachel to calm down and want to believe him.

"May I speak to him?" she asked, guessing what his answer would be. Sam shook his head.

"Not right now, but I'll let him know you wish to talk to him." He turned abruptly and walked away. Rachel shook my head. Things had gotten weird since she had left. Rachel hoped my brother wasn't spending too much time with Sam. His attitude was a little too domineering and sure.

"Nice speaking to you," she muttered, turning and heading towards one of the pathways that went along First Beach.


	2. Chapter 2

Rachel hadn't been walking for more than ten minutes when she saw a group of boys all hanging around a fallen tree along the side of the pathway. She was surprised to see Embry and Quil among those boys, but she didn't recognize the rest. Well at least not immediately. There was Jared… what was his last name? Never mind, and that, wait, was that _Seth_? _Seth Clearwater_? He had to be like, fourteen, no way was he that tall and hanging out with these guys! There was one boy with his back turned to her so she couldn't tell who he was but…

"Hey Rach," Jared came up to her and smiled warmly. He held out his hand and Rachel slipped her little one into his big one. She was surprised at how hot his skin was considering how little clothing he had on. Actually, she glanced at the whole group, none of them had on that much clothing, some battered shorts, a few old t-shirts, but the guy with his back turned to her didn't even have a shirt on at all!

"Aren't you guys cold?" she asked, wrapping her sweater around her as a particularly cold gust of wind blew by. Jared shrugged.

"We have our own ways of keeping warm." He said cryptically. He turned and hit the shirtless guy on the shoulder.

"Paul, come say hello to Rachel, Jake's sister." There was a low grumble and the guy, Paul, muttered something I couldn't understand. There was a snort from Embry, telling me that he had heard what Paul had muttered. Paul turned and faced me, and she held back a gasp.

He was gorgeous. Warm, dark brown eyes that she could stare into endlessly, dark black hair that was long enough for her to run my hands through and grab onto, and whoa, he was built. But there was something more than that, Rachel felt this strange tug towards him and suddenly I wanted to go over there and hold his hand. Hug him, get to know him. He was staring at her, a strange expression on his face.

"Umm…" She shook herself out of whatever dream she was caught in and held out her hand to him.

"Rachel Black, Jake's sister." Rachel introduced. The guy continued to stare at her for a moment before jumping up and grasping her hand.

"Paul Lahote," he said, his voice warm and deep. It washed over her and soothed her inside and out. Rachel shivered and hoped that they guys thought it was from the cold and not from whatever impact this guy had on her.

"Amazing," Paul breathed, and Rachel gasped at his sudden closeness. He was right in front of her, inches away from her. How did he get there so fast? She didn't have time to ponder over his speediness because suddenly her mind went blank. He was staring at her as if she was the most important thing in the world. She wondered for a second if the guys had been doing drugs and that's why they were out her all alone. Maybe his weird staring had something to do with some sort of drug kicking in or something.

"Paul," Jared's voice cut through her thoughts, and she turned to look at him. Paul was still inches away from her, grasping her hand.

"Sorry," he said, his voice rough. He let go of her hand and stepped away. Rachel suddenly felt cold at the loss of his touch.

"We should get going guys, Sam's going to want us soon." Quil said, as if he was oblivious to the strange interaction that she and Paul had just had. Embry nodded and the two of them took off. Seth scurried along after them.

"Paul," Jared said again, his tone commanding. Paul finally tore his eyes away from Rachel's to glare at Jared.

"In a minute, just let me talk to Rachel for a second." His tone was irritated, but when he turned back to her, somehow all that irritation was gone, replaced by some awestruck expression.

"One minute, don't be late." Rachel heard Jared take off, his footsteps growing faint as he distanced himself.

"Where have you been?" Paul murmured to himself, still staring at her. Rachel frowned.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing, sorry, talking to myself." Paul said. He took a step back, a slow smile spreading on his face. In most cases, Rachel would have found Paul's half smirk, half smile annoying and arrogant, but right now, all she could think about was how kissable his lips looked.

"Where were you going?" Paul asked. Rachel jerked.

"Excuse me?" she repeated.

"Where were you heading to before you ran into us?" Paul clarified.

"Oh, umm, no where. I was just taking a walk to clear my mind." Rachel replied, though how could she clear her mind now when she had just met this amazing guy?

"Mind if I join you?" Paul asked. Rachel tried to glance back to where Jared and the rest of the guys had disappeared to but she found it difficult to take her eyes off Paul.

"Umm, don't they need you…"

"They can do the pa— they can get on without me." Paul said. She barely registered his change in words, too in awe by the god in front of her.

"Umm, okay." Rachel found herself saying before she had thought it over. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew it was a bad idea to let this Paul guy come along with her. He was a total stranger! What if he turned out to be some ax murder and he was taking her to her death! Besides, if she could recall correctly he was her brother's age.

"Great!" Paul grinned and Rachel felt herself melt just a little. He had a great smile.

"So, why are you here?" Paul asked conversationally as they walked along. Rachel shrugged.

"I just graduated from Washington State University with a degree in computer engineering and I haven't seen my dad or brother in nearly three years. I haven't been back her in almost five years."

"Why haven't you been back here?" Paul asked, _was that concern in his voice?_

"Umm…" Rachel's eyes flashed with pain and Paul realized he had hit a nerve.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me, really, I'm just trying to make conversation." He said quickly. Rachel nodded.

"Thanks."

"So, computer engineering you say? That's cool, what are you going to do now that you're done with college?" Paul asked, trying to change the subject and keep things light.

Rachel shrugged. "I'm not sure. I've sent out a few job applications to some places in Seattle, Portland, and a few in Ohio. I have to go interview in a few weeks for the one in Ohio though."

"Oh, well good luck." Paul felt a pang in his chest at the thought of her leaving. She couldn't leave!

"Yeah, well what about you? Are you in high school?" Rachel asked, suddenly feeling the need to get to know him.

Paul shook his head. "No, I dropped out about a year ago, but I got my GED and I would have just graduated had I stayed in high school."

"Why did you drop out?"

"It's complicated," Paul shrugged and Rachel realized she too had struck a nerve. Paul paused, then shook his head.

"Actually, I'll show you why." He said suddenly. He grabbed her hand and a zing of lightning ran through her at the contact. He pulled her off the path and into the woods.

"Umm, where are we going?" Rachel asked, glancing back at the pathway. Was this the part where he turned into the ax murder?

"You'll see, I just have to show you something really quickly." Paul said, his voice tight. They wove in and out of the trees until the pathway was no longer visible and they were surrounded by the thickness of the woods. Paul finally stopped in a small clearing and turned to her.

"What do you know about the Quileute legends?" Paul asked suddenly. Rachel wracked her memories.

"Umm, they were stories about vampires and werewolves. My dad told us them when we were little." Rachel said. Saying that her dad _told_ them the legends was an understatement. He rammed them into their heads and told them the stories so many times that by the age of ten all three of them could recite them back to him in perfect oration.

"Right, about werewolves and vampires." Paul said, a slight gleam in his eye. Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"You're not like my dad where you believe in those stories are you? Cause if you tell me that you dropped out of high school because you believed in those stories then I'm outta here." Rachel turned to go but Paul caught her wrist.

"No!" he cried, turning her back. His grip was firm, yet not painful. Still, Rachel gasped. She had thought that Jared's handshake had been warm, but his skin was scorching. He was shirtless and had just been sitting on a cold, windy beach for god's sake! How could his skin be so hot?

"Look," Paul said, letting go and backing away from her. He was shaking now, almost violently.

"I dropped out of high school, not because I believed in the stories, but because I started _living_ the stories." He reached down and dropped his pants. Rachel let out a squeak and tried to avert her eyes. Her face grew red as she looked away from him.

"Rachel," Paul's voice was deathly calm and she forced herself to meet his eyes, and only look his eyes. They met for one second before he suddenly erupted into a giant silver wolf. Rachel opened her mouth to scream when suddenly a hand caught her and clamped itself over he mouth.

"Shh, Rachel shh!" she could here Embry's voice in her ear but she couldn't take her eyes off of the giant wolf. The wolf just stared at her, leaning back on its haunches and looking at her expectantly.

"Paul, Embry," Sam's voice cut through her mind now as he appeared out of know where from behind one of the trees.

"What's going on?" Rachel heard Jared approaching from behind her.

"Paul phased in front of Rachel." Embry said, confusion in his voice. Sam looked at Rachel, his eyes full of understanding and power.

"Get her to Emily's," Sam commanded Embry. She felt him nod and he slowly removed his hand from her mouth.

"Don't scream, alright? We're going to take you to Emily's and explain this all to you." Embry said, his voice wavering with uncertainty. He kept his hand hovering over her mouth for a second until he was certain she wasn't going to scream. The he removed it and grabbed her wrist, tugging her away from the giant wolf and back towards the path.

"Come on Rach, I'll explain everything to you." Embry said as he tugged her along. Rachel couldn't take her eyes off the wolf still. How could Paul—? What was that thing—? Legends about werewolves and vampires circled her mind and she gasped, yanking her hand away from Embry's as they reached the path. She stared at him in horror.


	3. Chapter 3

"You're a werewolf!" she cried out loudly. Embry winced and glanced around.

"Way to shout it out." He muttered, shaking his head. He nodded. "Yeah, I'm a werewolf, and so is Sam, and Jared, and Quil, and Paul, and even your brother."

"Jake's a werewolf?" I asked in disbelief. My little brother couldn't be that thing, that monster!

"Yeah, and when we're wolves he have this sort of telepathy thing going on, so we can read each others thoughts, and not just what we want them to hear, we can read _all_ of our thoughts. So there's no hiding anything from the others. That's how we've been in contact with Jake though, through our mind reading." Embry led her back towards the parking lot. Rachel's mind swirled with confusion, fear and questions.

"Wait, but, how? How long have you been a—" she gulped at the word, "werewolf? And is it reversible? What does this have to do with the legends? Wait, was he going to attack me? Do you guys bite humans—?" Embry was shaking his head.

"No no, you have it all wrong. Billy said you watch a lot of movies," he muttered. Rachel rolled her eyes, despite the freaky situation.

"It's genetic. So technically you have the gene. And you'll pass it on to your children too. It's really only a male thing, but for some reason Leah phased—"

"Leah's a werewolf?" Rachel interrupted. Embry nodded.

"Yeah, anyway, we turn into the werewolves from the legends, you can come to the bonfire tonight to hear them. The council will be telling them tonight. Anyway, no, it's not reversible, and of course we don't bite humans! That's the vampire's job." Embry made a face, "We protect the humans. Just because we can turn into wolves doesn't mean we still don't think like a human. In fact, Leah finds it hard to hunt in her wolf form because she can't stop thinking like a human—"

"TMI." Rachel said, holding up her hands. They reached the parking lot.

"Can we take your car? I didn't bring one," Embry grinned sheepishly. Rachel nodded and unlocked the car. Embry climbed into the passenger seat.

"Do you know where Emily's house is?" he asked. Rachel shook her head. Embry sighed and directed her to Emily's house.

When they got to Emily's Paul and the rest of the guys were already there waiting. Paul stood on the porch, shirtless and wearing a new set of battered shorts.

"Hey," he greeted, his expression unreadable. His posture was stiff, but he still seemed glad to see her as Rachel approached.

"Umm," she wasn't sure what to say. Just fifteen minutes ago she had seen this guy turn into a giant silver wolf and then had her little brother's best friend tell her that the legends she had grown up with, weren't legends at all, but histories.

"See you guys inside," Embry pushed past her and gave Paul a look. Paul ignored him, his eyes glued to me.

"So, how are you taking the news?" he asked after a strained silence.

"About what?" Rachel asked dumbly. Paul rolled his eyes, stepping down from the porch and walking towards her until he was only a few feet from her.

"About all of this silly. Werewolves and vampires and us being werewolves, that's not something most people take lightly." He said. The wind rustled, blowing her hair in her face. Paul reached out as if he wanted to brush it back, but then retracted his hand at the last second.

"Umm…" _how was she taking it?_ Rachel couldn't think of an answer for him. Paul nodded.

"Still in shock?"

"Umm, yeah." She said finally, her voice scratchy.

"Well, you can't tell anyone. Actually, you dad knows, but don't go around blurting out to people that we're werewolves. They already think we're some kind of gang or cult." Paul shook his head.

"Umm… if you can't go around telling people then why tell me?" Rachel asked, starting to regain some of her composure. Paul shrugged.

"Because, well, because… I.. imprinted on you." Paul said the words slowly, as if he was afraid she may to run.

"I'm sorry?" Rachel asked, a confused expression crossing her face. Paul smiled, she was cute when she was confused.

"Imprinting. It's what happens when a wolf finds hi true half. It's supposed to be really rare, I'm the… fourth one in the pack to imprint." Paul gave her a sly grin and Rachel could feel her insides starting to melt again. _Why did he have to have such a great smile?_

"So, what does imprinting mean exactly?" she asked, her voice shaking a little.

"It's like… when you imprint on her, she's the one. Like, gravity shifts so that suddenly she's the center of your universe. You're her protector, lover, friend — whatever she needs. You're suddenly programmed to accommodate to her needs, whether it's love, a friend, or protection. She's suddenly your number one priority, and it's like the only reason you're alive is to make her happy and satisfied." Paul looked at the ground this time as he said that, his cheeks turning ever so red.

"So, the reason that you showed me that you're a wolf, and the reason I'm attracted to you, is because of some sort of destiny?" Rachel's tone was disbelieving.

"Yes, well, no! I mean, just because the wolf imprints on her, doesn't mean she has to choose him. I mean, chances are that she will be attracted to him, but her attraction has to come on its on accord. I mean, imprinting only amplifies the attraction and makes you bound to her on a wolf level. Even without imprinting in most cases there would be something pulling you towards her anyway." Paul gave another sheepish grin.

"Soo… you're supposedly destined for me? And do I have any say in this?" something started to bubble up inside of her but she couldn't tell what it was. Anger? Fear? Hope?

"Yes, you could say that. I mean, even if you don't choose me I'd still be there for you. It would kill me if you didn't choose me but as long as you want me around I'd still be there for you." Paul's expression suddenly grew worried.

"Please choose me, or at least think about it." He said suddenly.

"You haven't even asked me out or told me you liked me! How am I supposed to know to choose you if you haven't even said anything yet! We've known each other for like, half and hour." The whole thing was ridiculous. Whatever drugs they were taking were seriously affecting their mental functioning. Still, best to play along with them so not to upset them.

Paul smirked now, "Well then, Rachel Black, how would you like to join me inside right now for some muffins. Emily's muffins are the best on the reserve and I'd hate to see them go to waste." Paul held out his hand and Rachel looked at it uncertainly. Taking his hand would mean she believed him, at least a little bit, and that she would consider him.

"Y— you're like, five years younger than me." She stammered, but Paul could see that she was starting to cave.

"Do I seriously look like I'm eighteen?" Paul asked, she looked him over. Tall, at least six two, with a nice body, serious muscles and abs, and—

"Well, no." she said, her voice small. Paul smirked.

"See, I look at least twenty-five." His hand was still outstretched to her. Rachel looked at it for a long moment before taking it.

 _Paul_

Paul tried his very best not to grin like an idiot when she took his hand. Hers looked so small in his. Her hand was smooth and warm, not as warm as his probably was granted, but still warm. He pulled her closer and led her inside.

"Hello Rachel!" Emily Young, Sam's fiancé came over with a warm smile. She enveloped Rachel in a warm hug and smiled at her when she pulled back. Despite the fact that half of her face was deeply scared, Emily was beautiful. Paul could see why Sam imprinted on her, not that he'd ever say that out loud. No, Paul valued his life, especially now with the black haired beauty at his side.

"Jake's gonna kill you when he gets back." Someone, it sounded like Quil, said with a snicker. Paul let out a low, animalistic growl that sent laughter roaring over the table. Rachel ducked her head and peeked shyly out between her long bangs. She could see an almost empty bowl of muffins sitting on a large wooden table. All the guys from the beach, plus a few more she didn't recognize, were sitting at the table.

"Do you think Jake's going to come back for Bella's wedding?" a young boy asked from the far end of the table. He looked no older than thirteen, yet at the same time he _had_ to be older than thirteen for his immense size.

"Doubt it, though I wouldn't mind seeing him rip that bloodsucker's head off if he does show." The boy next to him, who was probably the same age as him, said with a grin.

"Enough," Sam's voice cut through their talking and he glared at them.

"No one's ripping any one's head off. We have a peace with the Cullen's and I don't intend on breaking that any time soon." Sam leveled his gaze to the two boys.

"Even if I was going to allow Jacob to kill one of the Cullen's, you two wouldn't be anywhere near there. Understand? Collin? Brady?"

"Yeah," the two boys hung their heads in disappointment.

"Muffin? You must be freezing from being outside for so long." Emily's warm tone cut through the seriousness of the moment as she pulled Rachel towards the table. Quil jumped out of his seat and courteously offered her his chair. Rachel blushed and sat down. She took the muffin Emily offered her and bit into it ruefully. Up until that point she hadn't realized how hungry and cold she really was. She had only been wearing a thin long-sleeve shirt and a denim jacket.

"Thanks," she said gratefully. Emily nodded, looking pleased. Paul came over and snagged a muffin before standing behind her chair, his hands on the back of it.

"So what time should we be at the bonfire?" he asked Sam, trying to ease some of the tension in the room.

"Same time as usual, around eight or so." Sam said as if it was strange question for Paul to be asking. Rachel realized that he was asking the question for her benefit.

"Umm, am I supposed to come to it?" she asked, looking up at Paul. He shrugged.

"If you'd like. You'll hear some of the legends because the council always tells them and then we can hang out a little before or after it." He looked uncomfortable saying the last bit with all the pack members in the room. There were some snickers but Rachel ignored them. Paul sent a glare around the room before bringing his gaze back to meet hers.

"Umm, sure, maybe." She said, once again without any forethought. Paul however grinned.

"Great! And I can take you to the bonfire. I know your dad likes to get together with Sue and Old Quil before hand to discuss things so I can pick you up around seven." He grinned almost triumphantly. Rachel felt a twinge of disappointment spill through her. He didn't want to take her to dinner?

"I thought you might have plans with you dad for dinner," Paul said hastily, he must have seen her disappointment. Rachel felt herself begin to smile.

"I'm not sure, but thank you for being so thoughtful." She said, truly thankful. He was so sweet.

Paul grinned full out and he began to lean down before stopping himself. He looked like he wanted to do something, but changed his mind last minute.

"We'd better start out patrols soon." Sam said, Paul pulled away and they started towards the door. Rachel stood up, unsure of what to do. Paul seemed to realize that he had just left her slightly in the dark. He turned back to her as he reached the doorway. Jared and Quil pushed themselves past him.

"We patrol the reservation for signs of bloodsuckers and other dangers. It won't take too long though, don't worry." He flashed her a smirk before heading off into the woods. She could see some of the guys pulling off their shirts as they jogged into the forest.

 _Rachel_

Rachel thanked Emily for her hospitality and said goodbye to the rest of the guys before heading back to her dads place. She couldn't call it her house, not anymore. It hadn't been her house for nearly five years and ever since her mom died it hadn't felt nearly like home.

"Hey dad," she called as she let herself in. She made a note to remind her dad that he should really lock his door more often in case of an intruder. It wasn't that La Push or even Forks was known to have intruders often, but it was still best to lock the door.

"Hey sweetheart, have a nice time?" her dad wheeled himself into the main room.

"Umm, yeah, I saw Quil and Embry and I met Sam and his fiancé." Rachel said, going to the kitchen. She was unsure of how to bring up the subject of werewolves to her father.

"That's nice, so you hung out with Sam and his friends?" her dad's nonchalant tone was a little too nonchalant.

"Mmhmm, I met Jared and little Seth Clearwater and—" should she tell her dad about Paul and his imprinting on her? Would he understand what imprinting was? Just because he knew about werewolves and the legends didn't mean he understood them or knew about what was happening now.

"And?" her dad seemed to be waiting.

"And Paul Lahote." She said, letting out a breath. She turned to face her dad, "Do you know what imprinting I dad?" she asked, wincing. Great, just blurt it out without saying anything what so ever about werewolves or any of that shit. Her dad froze, a strange expression crossing his face.

"Dad?" Rachel suddenly grew worried. What if her dad had a heart attack like Harry Clearwater? That would be terrible.

"Yes," he said slowly, not meeting her eyes. "Why do you ask?"

"Because…" should she tell him? "Because Paul said he imprinted on me and he wants me to come to the council meeting tonight and he turned into a giant dog like monster this afternoon."

Whew, there, she said it.

"Rachel Rachel," her dad shook his head. "Werewolves aren't monsters. They are protectors of the tribe. The protect us against the vampires and the other dangers out there. They aren't monsters, they're not going to hurt you or jump out from under your bed." He sighed and gestured for her to sit down. Rachel walked over and sat down on one of the kitchen stools.

"Imprinting, is what a wolf does when they find their true half. As soon as they imprint, their first priority is the person they imprinted on. They accommodate to her needs. If she is too young for them, then they automatically become a playmate or a big brother to her. As she grows, her needs change, and he, as the werewolf, simply switches roles to accommodate her needs. A brother, a protector, a friend, a lover," her dad glanced at her slyly, "all those things is what the wolf becomes. She is his first priority, and she comes before everything, including the pack. Some say that they have no free will, but I do not think that that is the case. I simply believe that they gave up their freewill, for her."

"That sounds pretty harsh dad," Rachel said. A sick feeling started to spread over her. What had she done to Paul? Is this how it was? Was her every need bound to hers? What if she didn't choose him? Would that rip him apart? She didn't want to hurt him, she'd only know him for a few hours and already she was attached to him.

"Umm, how does the, umm, object of the wolf's infatuation, generally react to his sudden change?" she asked carefully. Her father seemed to ponder the question for a moment before answering.

"Well, I know that when Sam imprinted on Emily it was a huge shock to her. She tried to avoid him as much as possible at first because he had just broken up with Leah _because_ of her. All she wanted to do was hate him because of what he did to her cousin and best friend, but in the end she realized that it was really hard to hate him. Even after the accident she realized that he was still looking out for her, even after all the terrible things she said to him. Jake said that after the accident Sam went to Emily and told her to tell him to kill himself just so he could be free from the guilt. He couldn't kill himself without knowing that was what she wanted though."

"Wow," Rachel breathed, stunned by that level of commitment. I imprinting caused the wolves to be so attached to their soul mate, that they couldn't even kill themselves without knowing that's what she wanted, then that was some strong bond.

"Wait, you said accident. Is that what happened to Emily's face?" Rachel suddenly worried about her own safety. Even though Paul had backed away from her when he phased what if something happened on accident and she got hurt? She didn't want Paul to feel the same amount of guilt as Sam had.

"They were arguing over his not wanting to go back to Leah and Emily said a few things that struck a nerve. Sam began to loose his temper and Emily didn't know that he was going to phase. He tried to get her to back away but his hand was outstretched in protest to her when he phased. He slashed her face and was horrified with himself."

"That's terrible!" Rachel said, feeling a great weight at the guilt Sam must have felt.

"Yes, it is, but he tries to make it up to her every day. And after Leah phased, she forgave her cousin because she finally understood why her cousin gave in to him."

"So the moral of the story is that it's nearly impossible to stay away from Paul and that I shouldn't even try?" Rachel asked, unsure.

"If you want to be with Paul, then you should. He wants to be with you, I have no doubt, however, make sure it's what you want and that you're ready for it. If you choose to be with him, I have no doubt that you will be one of the happiest people in the world, seeing as that's how imprinting seems to work, but if you choose not to go to him, then I'll tell you this," her dad leaned in closer, "if you think it will be hard for you to stay away from him, then it will be a hundred times harder for him." Rachel gulped, that was what she was afraid of.

It wasn't that she didn't want Paul, it was just that, if she choose Paul, she was choosing to stay here in La Push and accept all of the craziness that seemed to come with it. The pain, the drama, the horrors, all of it seemed to be tied together.

Billy pushed his chair away from her. "I've gotta go meet with Sue and Old Quil, I'll see you at the bonfire right?" Rachel heard his underlying question: _If I see you, then that means that you've accepted this._

"Yeah, see you." She murmured, turning away. There goes any plans for dinner. It was only five-thirty, but Emily's muffins seemed years away. Hesitating, Rachel pulled out the phone book and scrolled through the pages.

"L, L, where is L?" she murmured to herself as she heard the door slam as her dad left. Placing her finger on the number she pulled out her cell phone and prayed she wasn't making a huge mistake as she called the number under Lahote.


	4. Chapter 4

_Paul_

By some kind of miracle Paul had found his soul mate. Now, looking up at his ceiling, he couldn't feel more empty. What if she rejected him? Would this really work out? He had seen the doubt and fear clouding her eyes while they'd been at Emily's. Her reaction to his phasing wasn't great, she hadn't brought it up once and he had seen the hesitation in her eyes when she had taken his hand, as if she was afraid claws might suddenly spring out of them. Well, claws did spring out of them, but he would never direct them towards her. Never.

He distantly heard his home phone ringing but he ignored it. Whoever it was could leave a damn message if he didn't feel like picking up. He stared at the celling for a few more seconds as he heard the distant buzz of a message being left. Suddenly he sat up, the voice of who was leaving the message registering to him. Leaping off the bed he raced to the phone, hoping it wouldn't be too late.

Damn, she had finished before he had reached the phone. Ignoring the red blinking light telling him there was a message on the answering machine, he clicked redial.

The phone rang twice before she picked up. She sounded breathless.

"Paul?" she asked, he smiled as he heard the uncertainty in her voice. Good, nervousness meant she hadn't made up her mind yet.

"I'm here sweetness," he said, a stupid grin on his face.

"Hi, umm, so my dad just left to meet up with Old Quil and Sue, and I haven't had dinner yet and I wasn't sure you were back from your… patrol, so…" she was rambling and he decided to just ask her to dinner to save her the pain.

"Would you me to come and take you to dinner?" he asked, euphoria spreading through him. He heard her small yes before she hung up quickly. He grinned and looked around. Where would he take her? What should they do?

Ten minutes later Paul was speeding through the tiny roads of La Push to Rachel's house. He had thrown on a nicer pair of sweatpants, as well as his cleanest and nicest t-shirt. He hadn't been able to find a good pair of shoes so he had settles for flip-flops from his dad's closet. He didn't think his dad would mind. After pondering over what to eat he had decided a picnic meal would be best. He figured taking her out by the cliffs would be the most romantic place he could think of, plus it was secluded in case she had any more questions about werewolves.

"I saw your car." She said, opening the door as he got out of the car. She had changed into jeans and a pretty blouse that showed a hint of cleavage. She wrapped a grey sweater around her shoulders and he grinned.

"A fun fact about wolves, our average body temperature is around 108˚ Fahrenheit, so if you ever get cold, just come find me." He wiggled his eyebrows to hint something more and she laughed. He grinned, just the reaction he wanted to get out of her. She stepped down from her porch and he opened the door for her.

"Thanks," she murmured, getting in. He grinned and grove her to the cliffs.

"I hope you don't mind a short walk, it's just up the hill." He said, glancing down at her footwear. She was wearing closed-toed sandals that, as comfortable looking as the probably were, was not entirely appropriate for a walk up a rocky pathway.

"Oops," she said, blushing. "Sorry, I didn't know where you would be taking me and — EEK! What are you doing?" she asked as Paul scooped her up.

"Carrying you of course." He said with a smirk. He began walking.

"Put me down! You can't carry the meal and me. You could trip, it looks like a steep trail and I don't want you to fall and—"

"Sweetheart, I'm a werewolf. I'm not going to fall. Trust me." He said, still walking.

"But," she seemed to be struggling to find a suitable retort.

"Besides, we're almost there." He said, and her eyes widened. She hadn't realized how fast he had been walking and how short the pathway really was. They reached the top and he set her down lightly on one of the rocks. Laying out a thick blanket he set the basket next to it and sat down, leaning against another rock. Patting the space beside him he stared at her coyly.

"Won't you join me?" he asked, his voice low as his eyes burned into hers. She took a deep breath before sitting next to him. He slung his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in closer. She did have to admit, being snuggled up next to him was much warmer and she did feel really safe in his arms. Reaching over he unpacked the contents of the picnic with one hand.

"I was in a rush so I just grabbed a few ham sandwiches and some fruit." He said, his cheeks turning red as he turned away from her. She smiled, he was so sweet. _Ohmygod I think I'm falling in love with him._ Her mind seemed to be on overdrive. She wasn't thinking clearly.

"It sounds great." She leaned over and kissed his cheek, surprising the both of them. "Thank you."

Paul grinned bashfully. "Happy to be of service." He handed her a ham sandwich. She noticed that, aside from the four he had pulled out, there was another three still sitting in the basket.

"Are we expecting company?" she asked in confusion. Paul snorted.

"I hope not. And I doubt it. No, those other sandwiches are for me. I assumed that you would probably eat no more than two and as a werewolf I eat a lot. Just ask anyone." He grinned.

"Wow, and what do you mean by that you doubt it? Did you tell them to stay away or something?"

"Yes, well, no, not strictly. But the rest of them are at Bella Swan's wedding. Jake and Seth were invited, and Sue and Billy are there for the beginning of the reception. Sam and some of the other wolves are out in the woods around the Cullen's property, making sure Seth and the rest of them are safe. Also," Paul cleared his throat, "Jake's back and he's decided to make an appearance there."

"Oh no! He's not going to do anything stupid is he?" she asked, terrified that her brother was going to get himself killed.

"No no, nothing like that. I think he only wants to talk to Bella. Show his support for her."

"Oh."

"Yeah, but since he doesn't own a tux, he's just gonna have her like, come outside or something so they can talk."

"Why aren't you there?"

"Well," Paul suddenly looked uncomfortable, "I may have asked Sam if I could take the evening off. In case you called early or something. Also, umm, Jake and I aren't exactly the best of friends."

"Meaning?" she narrowed her eyes and Paul shifted uncomfortably.

"Meaning even though we don't hate each other, when we're on patrol together we try to stay as far away from each other as possible."

"Oh." Rachel frowned, unsure of how Paul's imprinting on her would affect their situation.

"It's alright though, I mean, it's not as if you can choose who to imprint on and Jake can't do anything about it. I mean, it's perfectly natural for a wolf to imprint so even though it's rare he can't really object to it." Paul said hastily. Rachel felt a sharp pang attack her heart. Did that mean that he wouldn't have chosen her if he'd had the choice?

"Apple?" Paul offered her an apple slice, seemingly unaware of how his words had affected her.

"No thanks," she said, her voice hoarse. She blinked away the sudden tears threatening to overflow. Paul turned to her and frowned.

"Hey, are you alright? Did I say something?" he suddenly looked really worried.

"No," a sob started to tear through her voice and she felt Paul's arm tighten around her shoulder. "You can't control it? So, does that mean you wouldn't… wouldn't have chosen me if you couldn't help it?" it was no use, her tears started flowing down her cheeks. Paul seemed to realize the impact of his words on her and he stared at her horrified.

"No! That's not what I meant. I wouldn't have chosen anyone but you—"

"But if you hadn't imprinted on me, then how would you have known me?" Rachel asked, her voice coming out thick through her tears.

"Oh baby, I may not have seen you before my first shift but that doesn't mean I didn't not care about you. Whatever led me to imprint on you, whether it was fate, destiny, or the fact that I'm a werewolf, I'm damn glad I saw you, because from the moment I did, I knew I loved you. Damn, just because I didn't choose to imprint on you doesn't mean that I don't care about you or that I resent you because of the fact that I imprinted on you. I wasn't even looking to have a girlfriend let alone imprint on someone before you came along! Just because I didn't choose to imprint on you, doesn't mean I didn't like you before. Hell, you were Jake's older, gorgeous sister. Of course I liked you! I'm pretty sure every guy in my grade had a crush on either you, your sister, or Leah!"

"Wait, go back, say it again." She sobbed.

"Say what baby?" Paul asked, turning so he could wipe away some of her tears with his thumbs. He cupped her face.

"The— the part about you loving me." She said, her tears slowing. Paul grinned, he couldn't help himself.

"I." he leaned in closer to her so he could whisper it in her ear. "Love." His breath tickled her ear. "You." He felt her sag into his arms.

"Oh Paul," she breathed, her arms wrapping around him. He leaned back a little so he could stare into her eyes.

"I love you, Rachel Black, and I will say it as many times as I can until you believe me. As many times as you want. I love you, I love you, I love you—"

"I love you too!" she cried, new tears forming in her eyes, happy ones. "Oh god I'm a mess." She said, letting out a shaky laugh. She didn't know how she could love him, she barely knew if for a start, but somehow she did. Her heart told her that she loved him, and she trusted herself enough to follow it.

"Yeah but you're my mess." Paul said with a smirk. Then he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. He heard her sigh and he pressed his tongue against her lips, probing for a way in. She opened her mouth and their tongues met. He deepened the kiss, letting his hands roam free so one hand was on the base of her neck while the other one rested on her lower hip. She wrapped her arms around his neck, tangling her fingers in his hair.

"Paul," she breathed as he pulled away. Her lips were puffy from the kiss but he could see the joy in her eyes.

"I love you baby," he said softly, loving the way he eyes lit up when he said the words.

They kissed a few more times, and finished the rest of the food before heading back down to his car.

 _Rachel_

"What if they hate me?" the question had been running through her head ever since they had climbed into Paul's car and driven back towards where the bonfire would be held.

Paul rolled his eyes and squeezed her hand.

"They're not going to hate you. Why would you ask that? You saw them this afternoon!"

"Yeah but that was before—"

"Before?"

"Before I knew exactly what imprinting meant and how much it controls you. You said it yourself, you asked Sam to give you the evening off to be with me. What if they hate me for taking you away from them!" Rachel's voice had started off at a soft whisper, and she had ended her thought with a panicked cry.

"Shhh, baby, they won't hate you." Paul's lips were tugged up and she saw that he was trying not to laugh.

"What's so funny?" she asked indignantly. She pulled her hand out of Paul's and he immediately shut up.

"It's nothing, well, you. You think that they'll hate you just because I asked to have the evening off. You didn't make me take the evening off, I just wanted to in case you changed your mind or had the sudden urge to talk to me." He glanced at Rachel who was sitting in his passenger seat, her arms crossed.

"Aren't you glad I asked to stay behind? If I hadn't, then I wouldn't have gotten to take you to dinner and had that lovely time with you."

"But—"

"Shhh, sweetheart, nothing will ever be more important to me than you. When are you going to start believing me? Am I going to have to get it tattooed across my chest before you believe me?" he said it humoursly but Rachel couldn't help but think about how often he seemed to go without a shirt on and how seriously he would take her if she said yes.

"No, but, what if something happens and they need you?" she bit her lip.

"Then they'll howl and I'll hopefully hear them. Plus, Sam never lets Collin or Brady leave the reserve so if something happens, I'm sure they'll be dying to get into the action."

"They're just kids."

"Weren't we all once?"

"But—"

"Stop worrying, you'll be fine." They pulled up to where the bonfire would be held. Paul jumped out and was at her door and opening it before she could even reach for the handle.

"If you're worried about me getting in trouble for spending time with you, I can tell you about how many times Jared or Quil have been late to a pack meeting because they were spending time with there girls." Paul smirked as he closed the door behind me.

"Who did they imprint on?" Rachel asked, interested to hear more about the other girls.

"Well Jared imprinted on this girl named Kim. She was in his class and had this huge crush on him. After he phased he just saw her and couldn't look away."

"That's sweet."

"Yeah, and Quil… well, Quil's a bit different."

"How so?"

"Remember the bit about how we can be a protector or a brother to whoever we imprint on? We just accommodate to their needs as they grow?"

"Umm, yeah?"

"Well… just keep that in mind. Quil imprinted on Claire."

"Who's Claire?"

"We'll meet her soon." Paul grabbed her hand and led her towards the bonfire.

"Hey Paul!" Seth came running up to them, a hotdog in has hand.

"Hey Seth," Paul greeted. "Aren't you supposed to be at a wedding right now?"

"It got cut short." Seth grimaced. Paul frowned.

"Something happen?"

"No, well, Jake showed up, and he and Bella were dancing and talking and then she brings up that she's going on a honeymoon with Edward."

"She's going on an actual honeymoon with that leech?" Paul looked shocked. He didn't have any personal affinity for Bella Swan, or Cullen, or whatever he name was now, but he didn't want to see her get hurt. She was Chief Swan's daughter and she got along well with most of the pack members.

"Yeah, well, Jake kinda blew up at that and he kind of grabbed her and from there things kind of fell apart."

"That sucks. Where's he now?" Paul looked around but he didn't see Jacob.

"I think he's still cooling off. He was pretty pissed. Sam's going to be late to the meeting, same with Jared. Both of them are still with Jake trying to get him to calm down enough to phase and come back." Seth didn't look too worried but Rachel frowned.

"Is he alright? Where is he? Is he hurt?" she asked, the questions tumbling out of her mouth in a rush.

"Shh," Paul soothed, "Babe, Jacob's a strong wolf. He'll be fine. I highly doubt he's injured, that leech is too noble to do anything like that." Paul snorted, "And trust me, Jake hasn't been alright for a while now. I doubt that's gonna change any time soon." If Paul thought that those last words would sooth her he was sadly mistaken. She turned towards him, fire in her eyes.

"He hasn't been alright for a while? What do you mean by that?"

"Only that he's been hurting over the fact that Bella chose that bloodsucker for a while now and it's nothing new to him to have her choose him."

"That doesn't mean it will hurt him any less." Rachel retorted.

"Yes but still—"

"Where is he?" Rachel turned back to Seth. Seth shrugged.

"Dunno, in the woods somewhere with Jared and Sam probably. And don't worry Rachel, they'll take good care of him." Seth patted her arm and they went over to the bonfire. Rachel saw her dad raise an eyebrow at her but she ignored him. Rachel looked around. She saw Emily sitting next to Quil and a little toddler. Emily was speaking to Quil while he bounced the toddler on his lap. She pulled at his hair but he didn't wince or look the least bit annoyed. On a nearby log she saw a young girl with brown hair sitting on the log alone, her head tucked under a hoodie and buried in a book.

"That's Kim," Paul said quietly, "she's Jared's girlfriend."

"Oh," Rachel nodded, still taking in everything. The elders were huddled a little ways away at a wooden picnic table. A lamp sat on the table illuminating their figures as they spoke in quiet whispers.

"Hey guys," Jared greeted, suddenly appearing out of the darkness from the woods. Rachel saw Kim look up and smile as Jared walked over to her. He pressed a smoldering kiss to her lips that, to any outsider it would look inappropriate in public, but to the rest of the wolves it seemed like a regular thing.

"Hey guys," Sam's deep voice followed Jared's as he came out of the darkness as well. He glanced at Rachel and Paul but didn't say anything as he went over and kissed Emily.

"Where's Jake?" Rachel asked, suddenly scared. Sam looked up at her.

"He's still cooling off. He may join for the last bit of the bonfire but most likely you won't see him until tomorrow."

"Oh," Rachel felt disappointed. She hadn't seen her brother in nearly two years.

"Come on, let's go get a good seat. I roast a mean marshmallow." Paul grinned, keeping his voice light. Rachel smiled and nodded. They went and sat down as the council came over and joined them.

The next day there was a knock on the door. It was only nine A.M. so Rachel was surprised to hear it. She trudged to the door in her fluffy pink slippers and opened it without looking to see who it was.

"Hey," Paul stood in the doorway, shirtless but in shorts. He grinned and stepped inside.

"Am I too early?" he asked, looking her over. In her pink fluffy slippers, brown, multi-coloured polka doted bathrobe, and still slightly messy bed headed hair, she was sure she looked like a mess.

"Umm, it's nine A.M. You look like you'd be a late sleeper."

"I usually am, but I had something to look forwards to when I woke up so I woke up as early as I possibly could." Paul said with his trademark grin/smirk.

"And how early was that?" Rachel asked, having a guess. She wouldn't be surprised if he had just gotten up ten minutes ago and rushed over to her house.

"About eight forty-five." He said. She rolled her eyes, she knew him too well and it hadn't even been a day yet.

"Do you want some breakfast? My dad probably won't be up for a while so I could make us some pancakes and french toast."

"That sounds delicious." Paul said, leaning in for a kiss. Rachel let out a small moan as his tongue swept inside her mouth. He pulled away grinning. She smiled.

"Great!" she hurried to the kitchen, suddenly nervous. What if he hated her cooking? Sure, it was just french toast and pancakes, anyone could make those, but what if he hated what she made? Or the way she made them?

"Do you usually have french toast and pancakes for breakfast?" Paul asked, standing awkwardly in the kitchen. Rachel shook her head.

"No, my mom—" her voice caught for a moment but she shook it off. "My mom used to make it for us every Saturday morning. It was a special treat for us. I figured since it's Saturday and since you're here I might as well try making them…" her voice trailed off, memories of fun Saturday mornings suddenly filling her mind.

"Shh, it's alright, I'm here sweetheart." Paul's arms were engulfed around her suddenly, his voice whispering soothing words in her ear. She hadn't even realized that she had started crying. She had been too caught up in the memories to notice.

"I'm sorry, it's just really hard for me to be here, in this house especially."

"It's alright. I understand. When my mom and dad split it was really hard for my dad to talk about her for the longest time. Since I was still a kid, I didn't really understand why they split up, so I was always asking him these questions about her. Finally I realized that it was really hard for him to talk about her and that if he needed to talk about her, he would when he was ready."

"That's nice. Well, not the part about your parents divorcing, I'm sorry about that." Rachel's voice came out muffled from his chest. "But I mean the part about you and your dad."

"Yeah, well, when you're ready to talk about her, just know that I'm here."

"The reason I left La Push was because it was too hard for me to be here. This place, all I can think about is my mom. Or that's all I could think about until you showed up." She gave him a small smile. "This house, all the memories here, it's all a little too much for me. That's why I moved away as soon as I could. Same with my twin. She married right out of high school and is now happily living in Hawaii." Rachel sighed and whipped away more tears. Paul rubbed her back soothingly.

"Hey, it's alright. Did you know, I was born in Tacoma but I haven't really been back there since my parents divorced? It's been too hard for me and my dad to go back there since memories of my mom are all around us there."

"That's so sad." Rachel pulled away and cupped Paul's face. Paul smiled down at her sadly.

"It's not that my mom totally rejected the two of us, but she got remarried when I was thirteen to some guy and I was never quite comfortable around him and his kids, even though they always tried to make me feel welcome."

"That's too bad. Yeah, I don't know what I would do if my dad remarried and the woman he married had kids of her own. It would feel a little strange to me as well." Rachel pulled away and tried to wipe away the remaining tears.

"Whew, well, I'd better start the breakfast." She said, trying to sound cheerful. She must have done a horrible job at it because Paul raised his eyebrow at her skeptically.

"You're not fooling me darling. Now, is there anything I can do to help?"

"Umm, can you get the coffee started? I'm an addict." Rachel laughed. Paul smiled.

"Good to know." He murmured, going over to the coffee maker and starting two cups of coffee.

After a fabulous breakfast, and a fun morning walking down by the beach, Paul and Rachel ended up cuddling on the sofa at Billy's. She was sitting on the sofa, her feet curled up in Paul's lap as he gave her a foot rub. They had left their empty lunch plates sitting on the coffee table and there was a half eaten bag of chips next to Paul. There were two already empty bags of chips sitting next to the trashcan waiting to be stuffed in. Rachel was telling him about her degree in computer engineering and how she had her job interview in Ohio in a week.

"What the hell!" a loud voice cut her off suddenly as she began to talk about the job. They both turned and saw Jacob standing in the front doorway. He looked pissed off.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Jacob demanded, stomping over to his sister. He glared at Paul menacingly.

"He's here because I want him to be." Rachel replied simply. She was somewhat used to Jacobs temper tantrums from when he was a little boy.

"Get out of my house." Jacob snarled at Paul. Paul glanced at Rachel.

"If that's what Rach wants then I'll leave." He said, his words slow and carefully measured. Rachel reached out and placed a hand on Paul's arm.

"You don't have to leave, it's fine. And you," she turned to her brother, "Where the hell have you been? You can't just come barging in here and demand for Paul to leave. I've been here nearly two days and I haven't seen you around at all. Dad says you've been gone a few weeks now so you have no right to suddenly show up and come barging in here." Rachel looked angry and Jacob gaped at here.

"I— I have no right to come barging in here? This is _my_ house! You're sitting in _my_ living room and he's eating _my_ food!" Jacob sputtered.

"You can share." Rachel said calmly. She didn't like the way Jake was talking about Paul.

"What are you doing here! With my sister! Get out!" Jacob practically shouted at Paul. Paul stood up slowly.

"Whoa, calm down man, I was just hanging out with Rachel. There's no need to get so angry—"

"You're telling me to calm down?" Jacob was visibly shaking now and Rachel realized what was happening. Paul seemed to know it was well.

"Jake you're getting really upset. Maybe we should step outside. I don't want you to get angry and hurt Rachel. We don't want another Sam/Emily incident now do we?" Paul tried to add a little humour into his voice but it was obvious that he was nervous. Jake froze.

"You think that I would intentionally hurt my sister?" he asked in a deathly calm voice. "I would never hurt anyone in my family."

"Yeah well it's not like Sam ever wanted to hurt Emily." Paul muttered. Rachel winced. Wrong thing to say. Jacob leaped onto Paul and they went smashing to the ground. Rachel screamed in surprise.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Jacob roared to Paul before punching him in the face. Paul seemed to struggle for a moment before giving up.

"Look man!" Paul cried through the punches, "If I had known you would be coming back here today I wouldn't have been here when you arrived! I'm only hanging out with Rachel cause Billy's out of the house right now! I knew she needed some company—" something in his voice must have gotten through to Jake because he suddenly froze. He looked at Paul for a long moment, then back at Rachel. He started to shake again and when he spoke his voice came out in a shaky rage.

"You. Imprinted. On. My. SISTER!" He bellowed the last word. Paul shoved Jake off himself roughly and jumped up. Already the bruises from Jake's punches were fading.

"Look man, it wasn't intentional. I didn't realize she was your sister until Jared introduced us." He said, his voice starting to show some anger. Jacob didn't seem to notice, he was shaking too much now. Paul turned to Rachel.

"Get back!" he commanded. Rachel stumbled a few steps back just as a giant russet coloured wolf erupted into the room. Paul stumbled back, a large scratch on his chest. Rachel screamed and Paul grimaced.

"I'm fine sweetheart, just get back." He started to unzip his pants and he turned to Jake, his pants half hanging off his waist.

"Maybe you'd better get outside Jake." He said, his voice holding no humour. The giant wolf let out a huff and went smashing through the front door. Paul gave Rachel an apologetic look before pulling down his pants and stepping outside. Through the cracked window, Rachel could see a large silver wolf racing after the large russet wolf. Both of them disappeared into the trees. She stared after them for a long moment and then let out a sob. What had she done? Now the pack was really going to hate her because she was causing two of them to fight! Shaking her head she closed the door and went to the kitchen. She sat on the bar stool, wondering how long it would take them to make amends and what she should do to help.

RIINNGG! The phone rang. Jumping up, Rachel hurried over and looked at the caller ID. Uley, Sam it read. Sam Uley… that was the guy from the beach! Paul had said he was like, their leader or something. She picked up the phone, expecting to hear Sam's deep voice. He was probably calling for Jacob, or maybe even Paul.

"Hello?" she asked, trying to sound like she had not just spent the last ten minutes crying.

"Hello? Is this Rachel?" a slightly familiar, feminine voice asked on the other end.

"Umm, yes, who is this?" Rachel asked, surprised.

"Oh, this is Emily! We met yesterday—"

"Right! I remember."

"Good, well, I was wondering if you and Paul would like to come over for dinner tonight. A few of the pack memebers are coming so it would be another good chance for you to get to know them."

"Umm…" should she tell them about Paul and Jacob's fight? "That sounds really wonderful, thank you for the invite, umm, you see, the only problem is that Paul isn't really available right now. Umm, Jacob came home and he got pretty angry when he saw Paul." Rachel heard a loud sigh.

"Oh Paul," she said, laughter in her voice. "He and Jacob are always fighting. Look, it's not your fault. Jacob's going through a rough time right now and seeing Paul probably caught him off guard. If they get back before dinner, let them know they are invited, otherwise, I'll see you at six!" Emily sounded cheerful as she hung up the phone without waiting for her response. Rachel had to smile, Emily's kindness and cheer seemed infectous. She glanced at the clock above the mantel. It was nearly 3:30 right now so she had a few hours until dinner. She wondered if their fight would really take three hours.

 **Hey! Sorry, this is the end for now. I'll keep working on this story and I'll hopefully finish it soon! Sorry about that!**


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